Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 77 The Invisible Man

4 a.m., Crouch's old house.

After the Dark Mark was discovered, before dawn, Crouch, the Chief of Staff of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, along with Scrimgeour, Robards, and Kingsley, all gathered at the Chief's house.

Such a large-scale mobilization, bringing together almost all of the British Ministry of Magic's high-ranking armed officers, was certainly not just about the Dark Mark.

No one believes that man can return now, not even Kingsley, who is close to Dumbledore, has ever considered the possibility of the Man of Darkness being resurrected.

Therefore, although the effects of the Black Mark are bad, they are not so great that they are so nervous.

What truly made Crouch and his crew feel threatened was that the Aurors' recent operations had consistently failed to go smoothly.

Especially targeting those werewolves.

Even if the Aurors hadn't yet connected the werewolves and the Dark Mark, they could probably guess that the two things were definitely related.

“I sent my men out, and they didn’t even get a heads-up when the ministry was setting up an investigation into the werewolves. At that time, they were chasing Snape,” Kingsley said cautiously.

Robaz then uttered two names.

“Philo Anderson and Horace Baker are the suspects. They received their mission before going to track down the werewolves, but Philo suddenly took leave the day before, saying he was going to St. Mungo for medical treatment. Horace participated in the operation as usual, but during the process, he was separated from the team for about five minutes. According to him, he went to the wrong place while Apparating.”

Scringer looked at him.

"Did you go to St. Mungo's?"

"We checked, and Philo does have medical records, but that doesn't completely clear him of suspicion. As for Horace, we went to the location he described to perform Apparition monitoring, and we did detect traces of Apparition, but five minutes seems a bit off."

Crouch couldn't help but rub his temples. All the recent events had put pressure on the Aurors, making it very difficult for him, the head of the Executive Division.

The head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was almost certainly the designated successor to Minister of Magic Bagno, but due to the shocking scandal that occurred seven years ago, he has been mired in public opinion ever since.

Rumors are circulating that once Bagno retires completely, he will be transferred from the Execution Division to the International Magical Exchange and Cooperation Division.

This may seem like a lateral transfer, but it is actually a demotion.

If other people encountered this situation during this time, most would not continue to expend too much effort.

But Crouch was a man who valued his prestige and reputation, and he didn't want to be burdened with more political stains before leaving the Executive Division.

However, recently there was Snape's affair, then problems within the Aurors, and now someone has raised the Dark Mark. If things are not handled carefully, he may not even be able to maintain his apparent pacifism.

As the four of them smoked in the living room, discussing the situation within the Auror's territory amidst the swirling smoke, Kingsley suddenly frowned and looked up at the corner of the stairs.

"Who's there?"

His voice drew the attention of the other three as well.

In that instant, a hint of panic was clearly visible in Crouch's eyes!
"Sparkle! Is that you?!" he shouted, unusually loudly.

At this moment, a timid house-elf emerged from the stairwell, its ears drooping.

"Sparkle...Sparkle didn't mean to be here, Sparkle had no choice."

"Get back to the kitchen! Do you hear me? Now!"

Crouch roared.

Putting aside Kingsley and Robards, even Scrimgeour was somewhat bewildered by his sudden outburst of anger.

"Sorry, everyone." After shooing away the house-elves, Crouch looked wearily at the three. "That's enough for today. You continue with your internal investigations, and regarding the Dark Mark, remember to keep an eye on those reporters from the Daily Prophet and tell them not to talk nonsense! As for the dark wizard who used the Corpse Resurrection technique, Scrimgeour, you will personally lead the investigation." He had already said so much, so Scrimgeour and the others had no intention of staying any longer. The three of them Apparated away from Crouch's old house.

After everyone left, the huge mansion became completely quiet.

Crouch was the only one who was almost slumped in the sofa chair, and his house-elf Sparky, whom he had sent to the kitchen, had reappeared.

As soon as it came out, it kept banging its head against the wall.

"It's all Shining's fault! It's all Shining's fault!!"

"Stop! Blink!" Crouch shouted, trying to stop its self-harming behavior.

Flash stopped, slumped to the ground, and sobbed, crying very sadly.

As the head of the Executive Division, Crouch now completely lacked the aura and authority he once possessed. He was like a person whose strength had been completely drained, making it incredibly difficult for him to even speak.

After a long while, Shan Shan's sobs grew quieter and quieter.

Crouch's gaze fell on the corner by the fireplace, where there was clearly no one, yet he seemed to be able to see someone there, and he said in a cold voice.

"I hope you stay home obediently and that everything that happens outside has nothing to do with you!"

The room remained quiet, as if Crouch's words were merely a monologue.

The following day, under the Auror's control, the Daily Prophet indeed toned down its reporting on the Dark Mark from the previous night.

Few wizards knew about this news to begin with, and many had heard that something terrible seemed to have happened during the night, but few knew exactly what it was.

In the Daily Prophet, there was only one article about this matter, stating that dark wizards had been spotted in East Sussex, bluffing by casting a forbidden spell, and that the Aurors were already organizing a team to investigate.

Other newspapers seemed to have received the same reminder, and almost no one paid much attention to it. Only the unconventional "Singing the Dissent" mentioned it on its front page that day.

Lovegood, however, was clearly unaware of the full story. Instead of considering the Dark Mark, he used the incident to write a satirical article about the Aurors.

However, even though it wasn't reported in the newspapers, some wizards living near East Sussex still witnessed the scene firsthand.

However, these people lacked a wide-ranging means of communication and could only wait anxiously for news from the Ministry of Magic.

As dawn broke, three men arrived in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

They took a special bus and, on board, heard some rumors about what had happened the night before.

　Crouch's experiences don't quite add up.

　　Barty Jr. was born in 1962. When he was 19, his Death Eater identity was revealed because he and Bella's gang tortured Neville's parents, meaning the incident occurred in 1981.

　　According to the background description, during this period, Crouch, who was originally a shoo-in for Minister of Magic, lost his chance to compete with Fudge because of this scandal.

　　But in 1981, Bagno had only been a minister for a little over a year, and she still had nine years before her retirement. Crouch was already competing with Fudge for the next minister nine years earlier?

　　This is clearly illogical.

　　But that's how the background is written, so I'll just go with that.

　　It will be uploaded to Sanjiang tomorrow, and I estimate it will be available for purchase in a few days. I'm already prepared to update it frequently.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)